Little Red Riding Hood: The Pokemon Tech Version
by Thorned Rose
Summary: A sexually frustrated James decides to take part in the school play, but when Jessie joins him in his escapade it changes everything. Including the person set to play the girl. Rocketshippy
1. Money Problems

                  **Little Red Riding Hood****: The Pokémon Tech Version******

      Jessie lay bored on her bunk, feeling like throwing her education away in return for a life of evil, possibly the infamous Team Rocket her mother had worked for until her untimely death. Her head was swarming with ideas of what a fifteen-year-old girl should be doing as opposed to the homework her cruel teachers had set her. Her dreams were frequently interrupted as pages were turned quickly by her room mate, a certain boy named James. She wasn't sure what he was reading, but it must have more educational gain for him than staring at a spot on the ceiling like she was. In the end her curiosity finally overcame her and she sat up to look in his direction, not being capable of doing so immediately since she suffered a head-rush from going from nought to sixty in one second. He was poring over The Blazer, the school newspaper, and every so often she'd hear the faint squeaking of a marker as he circled things unknown to her. He was quite good-looking in her eyes, so she watched the youth contently as he pushed a stubborn strand of hair behind his ears, ignorant of his spy. Again, her curiosity interfered and she asked her companion about his findings. He jolted and dropped his felt-tip pen as he was brought out of his own thoughts and apologised as he bent down to retrieve the marker, and asked her to repeat what she'd said. To his dismay, not because of where it went but because he wasn't alone, it had rolled underneath his bunk, where Jessie's underwear lay for some peculiar reason unbeknownst to him. He acted like nothing was important about his find as he resituated himself on the mattress, this time lying on his front so she couldn't tell the incident caused a physical effect in him.

      "Hey, I've asked you twice already, what are you doing?"

      "Erm…You mean with the paper?"

      "Of course, what else would I mean?"

      He breathed a sigh of relief; she obviously hadn't seen him stopping his retrieval momentarily to examine the material on the ground. He wished he hadn't seen it now as he was creating a mental masterpiece of her modelling them. He snapped out of his fantasy and decided to keep the conversation in mind, as lying that way on the bed without cutting a circular hole into the mattress first was painful. Very painful when one considered the restricting uniform, he hoped it didn't tear with the strain.

      "Nothing much, just looking at jobs and competitions, seeing if there's anything I can do to earn a bit of cash. I hate asking my parents for money, they're not the most normal"

      "Everyone's are like that"

      "Are yours?"

      "My mother's dead and my dad bailed before I was born. At least this way I have ultimate independence"

      "Sounds tough, how can you afford this place?"

      "It's not really; she's been gone a few years now. I'm here from a scholarship given to me by a firm my mother worked for before she died, though I personally can't stick all this study and schoolwork"

      "I have more reasons to stay than education; I don't want to go back to my nightmare life before I have to"

      For some reason, this talk made James aware how underweight the girl looked, even though she wasn't acutely bony. It was probably due to her incredibly unbalanced diet in the holidays, and he felt like he should tell her very little about his family and how they wanted him to marry Jessie Belle for extra plots of land lest he appeared a spoilt rich kid even when he wasn't. It was now he noticed the striking resemblance between her and his supposed fiancée, and the pain became worse as he suddenly imagined Jessie being the one whipping him. It was strange how such a torturous experience could become one that gave him pleasure with a simple alteration.

      "So is there anything in there that'll be worth your while doing for a bit of money?"

      "There's very little actually, and there's even less I'd consider doing. There are two possibilities but I'm not sure about either"

      "Go on, what are they? I'll tell you if I think you're suited to the jobs in question"

      "One's modelling for art, but I don't see it as a real possibility"

      "What type of modelling is it?"

      "That's what makes me want to ignore it; I don't want people seeing my body. It's very…well it's not the manliest, let's put it that way"

      "I think your body's nice, what's wrong with it?"

      James immediately looked up again to see if her expression had changed with that comment because his certainly had. Unfortunately she'd reverted back to lying on the bed with her legs still dangling off the bed, hoping he couldn't see her ruby cheeks causing a nasty contrast against her pale skin. This made matters worse for James, as her skirt moved with her and he had a view he'd appreciate seeing when there was a chance for him to do something about it rather than in the middle of a conversation with her. His eyes were locked on their target and he fruitlessly tried to look away on several occasions, desperately wishing above all she wouldn't turn in his direction and catch him enjoying a free soft-core porn show. He brought his mind back to the situation at hand and blurted out something before she asked why he'd gone quiet.

      "I've girly hips"

      He wished he'd said anything else. Why didn't he invent a birthmark to be self-conscious about? Or even a scar he didn't want anyone to know about—wait, she'd want to see it then. Hell even a hairy chest would have been more self-dignifying than comparing himself to a girl. How was that meant to impress her?!

      "I don't believe you, you look fine to me. You probably have a nicer waist than I do"

      "NoIdon't"

      He replied a little too quickly to convince her, and he hoped his comment could act as a self-conscious statement rather than a declaration that her body was perfect in his eyes. Besides from what he could see of her waist now, hers was infinitely more appealing than his was. He was relieved once again when she changed the course of the conversation slightly.

      "What's the other option? In the paper I mean"

      "What? Oh pardon me; I understand what you mean now. There's the class performance of Little Red Riding Hood, which is bound to be far from class if it's anything like Cinderella last year"

      "True, the shoe broke in the first year's hand and the girl playing Cinderella walked in the glass. Both her and her prince were sent to hospital I think, can't have been very--"

      "Charming, I saw where your dry wit was leading a while ago"

      "How come you want to subject yourself to public ridicule, and willingly at that?"

      "I took acting lessons, it'd shut my parents up because although I'd still be looking for cash, I'd be doing something productive and showing off my talent they bestowed upon me. Or making a holy show of myself and forever causing my family forever ridicule from their friends as tales of my idiocy reaches their ears"

      She let out a giggle at the thought of his acting being so bad his family would cringe, but from what she'd learnt of them, he'd only have to breathe for them to disapprove. She propped herself up slightly with her elbows and looked at him, seeing him poring over the advert again, with a slightly reddened face. She misread his embarrassment at her almost spotting him watching her crotch as being hurt by her laughter at his acting. He was so used to insults at this stage that he never took any notice of anything like it and it just rolled off like water on a psyduck's back. She decided to say she was sorry for hurting him, but in her own special way.

      "I didn't mean to laugh, and I think I'll join you on your quest. When are our auditions?"

      "You seriously want to do it?"

      "Of course, I couldn't let you become outcast by the school on your own you know"

      He immediately thought of a foxy and for some reason incredibly skimpy red outfit for Jessie to wear if she landed the leading role, but he had to once again bring his mind out of his frequently-visited gutter as he knew her eyes were still upon him. He had to stop imagining she'd answered his question as if it were the dodgier meaning she could have taken, but then again she was probably beyond having teenage fantasies and if she weren't then he'd bet they sure as hell wouldn't involve him. He'd lose that one, her hormones had been very active lately and they'd spawned a batch of very creative images and action sequences. It wasn't that difficult when she had a half-naked man in the room; this being her source of knowledge that his body wasn't all that effeminate and it actually appealed to her greatly for some reason. He wasn't the only one that stole looks when the other was asleep.

      "It's just as well I read this tonight, the auditions are being held for two hours tomorrow, commencing at ten o' clock. Are you still positive that you want to enter the hall of shame with me? You could save yourself"

      "There's no point, everyone's been jeering our names put together that everyone knows we're room mates, even those who don't know what we look like. On top of that, you'll drive me mad with your rehearsing at night, so I might as well practice scenes with you, any excuse not to do homework should be used I say. Who knows? I might even make a decent actress"

      James suddenly wished the fairy tale had contained love scenes, and one hell of a lot of them since she expressed her desires to rehearse with him. He definitely heard a creaking in the stitching along his crotch as part of him didn't like being restrained to this extent, and Jessie threw a perplexed look in his direction. He mumbled something about stretching and his shirt had decided against moving with him, knowing he could get away with it as she'd been looking out the window at the time. She smiled warmly for a few seconds without either knowing why; then she stood up suddenly and declared she was heading for a shower before bed. When he heard the sound of water hitting off her body as she stepped under the nozzle, he turned on his back and did what he could to relieve the straining. He'd tried to think un-sexy thoughts to calm it down, but when it wasn't working that well he undressed, turned his bedside lamp off and got under the covers, hoping she wouldn't read anything into it; he could say he was tired and had a bit of a headache if she enquired. He was feeling kind of drowsy from all the close reading he'd done for the last four hours; unlike Jessie he'd put in a few hours of studying so he wouldn't need to fear his parents finding out his grades were lacking. He slouched into the position he normally lay in at night with his left arm under his neck, making sure the covers covered him up to his waist at least. He began to feel sleep enticing him to succumb to its will…

      Jessie stepped out of the bathroom into the unexpected dark, suddenly relieved as she hated struggling with holding her towel up whilst trying to put her nightdress on, and hated bringing it into the en suite as the condensation made it very cold and horrible to lie on all night. She crossed the moonlit floor and got changed, unaware that James had never been more awake in his life as he watched her. He soundlessly put his right hand under the covers in an attempt to flatten himself, not wanting her to turn around and see a marquis instead of bedcovers. He thought for one horrific moment she was on to his pretence of sleep when she'd dressed, as she walked over to his bed. The material clung to her damp skin and to him she looked perfect whilst basking in the moonlight for three steps. She strained against the dark to see if his eyes were open, and he couldn't tell if she continued because she couldn't see his emerald eyes watching her every move, or if she continued because she could.

      She'd never been this close to him before, not when they were like this, so she acted very carefully in case she woke him up. She'd needed the shower to cool herself down, as her thoughts had been just as gutter-related as the boy's had been. She felt the heat returning as she peered at his skin, trying to see whether or not his hips were all that effeminate. She moved the covers down very carefully, wondering at his hand's location. She wasn't trying to expose him too quickly in case he woke up, and because of the poor light she didn't notice him pressing his hand down harder on himself. She gave a nervous look as she resumed moving the blanket, knowing that to see his hips she risked seeing a bit more of him. The threat of it excited her more than it made her nervous, which surprised her. She gasped slightly as the heat of the moment hit her, and just as the covers were about to show what his hand was doing, she felt his left hand pull her towards him.

      She jumped in shock and stared in horror at his open eyes, wondering if she'd just woken him up or if he'd been a spectator to the whole thing. She heard him asking her a cool 'what are you doing?' and she stuttered out she only wanted to see what his hips were like from what he'd said earlier. He sat up in bed; the covers only barely covering his organ as he asked her opinion, knowing the darkness should cover his problem as his hands were working on propping himself up. He liked being able to see her silhouetted against the window while she obviously couldn't see him. It was perhaps this knowledge that made his courage start growing and he pulled off something he'd never have imagined to be possible. He closed the gap between him and the stuttering beauty before him and touched his lips with hers. She'd given no evidence of wanting him to do it, so immediately self-conscious thoughts filled his head, cut short when he realised she'd stayed in that position and was nervously responding to him.

      He pulled her slightly so she'd side-saddle his lap without breaking the contact, noting how she was shaking slightly. He by all rights should be doing just that, but part of him felt like it was completely the right thing to do, even though her wet hair dripping on his skin made him colder. It couldn't realistically compete against the heat his body was generating though. He pulled back and asked her if she was all right when he noticed her shaking increased, getting a reaction he wasn't expecting. She apologised, got up and returned to her bed without saying another word, much to the male's annoyance. She called out a half-hearted goodnight, but said no more when he replied with the same and a question with what was wrong. Maybe she'd assumed he was suggesting she did something with him from the way he'd moved her, but that had only been because she was shorter than he was and she needed extra height to stop his back from breaking. He'd been incorrect earlier; he'd never felt as wide awake as he did now, and he hardly slept a wink at all. It was times like this that made him frustrated whenever he did something out of the ordinary; things would be fine between them if he'd just let her watch his body in peace. What harm would it have done, compared to this? He wished he'd never mentioned the play, as she'd surely be the one ridiculing him the most now.

      He was beginning to dread the audition with her first thing in the morning.


	2. Bribey And Bargains

      James knew something was wrong even before he opened his weary eyes. Probably because his ribs usually didn't usually feel like an eighteen-wheeler had run over them. He could barely see anything through his wince when he decided to try to see what could have caused his discomfort, and unfortunately for him he didn't need to look very hard. Jessie dug the heel of a particularly vicious-feeling shoe into his stomach, smiling smugly as if she'd conquered him like a nation. He pushed her leg off him and took a gulp of oxygen that his solar plexus demanded, wondering just how mad he'd made her the night before. If that was what this was about, he was suddenly only half-glad he'd done it. He felt relief that nothing serious had occurred, otherwise he'd feel like his hands were about to become in extreme danger. He sat up and rubbed his stomach as the two inch dent slowly reverted back into his stomach. He asked her 'what was that for?' and formed a fool-proof plan in his head: deny everything. If she became even more violent, he had a one in five chance of making it out of the room where he could hide in the en suite. She didn't reply, merely pointed behind him. He didn't want to look in case he was moving into the perfect spot for her next inexplicable attack, but after a few seconds of purposeless watching her finger he turned and saw only one thing in that general direction, a clock radio. He failed to understand the significance when all he wanted was to turn around and return to sleep to forget about her attempting to crush his insides. He closed his eyes but remained sitting up and holding his stomach, but then he suddenly thought his eardrums were about to explode when she shouted at him.

      "The auditions start in five minutes, get dressed so we'll be heard at least. You know they're only sticking around for two hours and you're not holding me back in life!"

      He jolted and at the last second clutched at the covers, feeling like he needn't make the situation any worse by flashing her when he was still unclear about what the cause she had for her actions the night before. She turned away from the bed when she knew she'd woken him up, not wanting him to know she frequently watched him getting dressed in the morning and to keep her secret she was willing to sacrifice one morning's worth. He hunted around for something when he was fully clothed, and they headed off to the sports hall together in almost silence. James was hoping the interviewers were looking for someone that could sleep standing up, because that's all what he would resemble with this fatigue. Gods curse Jessie for making him lie awake nearly all night worrying about her and what effect it would bear on her. Considering she was trying to talk him out of public humiliation the day before, she really was becoming a nightmare about it. Holding her back in life?!

      She seemed incapable of thinking things through, as she soon discovered whilst sitting in the waiting area. Everyone seemed to be practicing selected pieces for their few minutes of trial. Well, James wasn't because he was mainly asleep, and she really didn't know what to expect from him. He said he'd had acting lessons, but had they helped or was he as desperate as she was likely to be? She frantically prayed she wasn't the only one who wasn't any good there. She also prayed that if James got a place and she didn't, she wouldn't resent him for it as she'd wanted more than anything to carry on the night before, she'd just been too nervous as it was her first kiss, explaining easily the reason for her shaking. He'd never try it again anyway; he'd probably consider her a psycho if the same thing happened so he mightn't want to risk it to spare her feelings. His was before hers, so that way she'd know how much effort she should put into the piece. She poked him in the ribs and he grunted in a complaint, too tired to start up anything with her. She poked him again, this time substantially harder and informed him his number was called for the audition.

      The judging panel consisted of two male fifth-formers with a clipboard resting on the table in front of both of them. James knew their faces but couldn't put a name to them even if he were wide awake, as he could hardly name a lot in his own year. There weren't that many in the school as it was so expensive, but there were few opportunities to socialise as fun seemed to be a contraband item. He handed over the piece of paper, which turned out to be a certificate to prove he'd excelled in his acting course at the most elite academy in the world, making the youths impressed before he recited a piece that had won him first place in a planet-wide contest. He was naturally given a role of his choosing, so he decided to play the umbreon, as it was a main part but he'd still retain a percentage of his anonymity. To his surprise, one of the boys handed him the costume with the information that if there were any need for alterations to bring it back with the sizes required written down. He somewhat doubted they'd have made that offer to someone else and they were sucking up to the world champion.

      As he turned to leave with the costume in his hand, he asked if they'd found a lead female yet, and when they responded negatively, he asked to see the costume. They exchanged a glance as if to say the idea sounded like he had a cross-dressing fetish but not wanting to voice it in case it upset him. They couldn't afford that, especially since this was the first year where there may be a scrap of talent in their production. James suddenly felt a heat spread through him when he realised the costume in front of him was nearly as skimpy as the one he'd visualised the night before, and it would hold very little to his imagination if Jessie wore it. He took it into his arms and asked for a bag, making them agree that if they wanted him in the play they'd hire the next person to interview, as she'd look so good in the outfit they'd sell out completely. They swapped another dubious glance, but agreed with the condition that if they weren't convinced he'd have the choice to stay or drop his part. He sat down behind the interviewers' desk as they called Jessie in, seeing her surprised look when she eyed James turning from examined to examiner. Without her saying a word, the people behind the desk conferred and announced unanimously to each other that she was right for the part, or more importantly for the dress. James left with her a moment later, carrying the costumes and two scripts in the bag.

      "James?"

      "Ungh?"

      "How'd I get the part when I didn't do anything?"

      "I suggested you since you're the only one there with red hair, and they agreed to my point of view"

      "I don't think that's true; there was a redhead in first year too"

      "They wanted me in and I wanted you in, okay? That's the truth, because my curriculum vitae impressed them so they had to listen to my conditions"

      "Honestly? I knew you'd taken lessons, but is that all it took for them to listen to a kid a couple of years younger then them?"

     "My family can be very…influential; I guess they didn't want to go up against them. But it could be because I'm the current best in the world for our age"

      She stopped and stared at him, in disbelief at what she'd heard coming out of his mouth as it didn't seem like he was capable of being champion of anything. He didn't acknowledge her action and carried on walking, not even noticing it as he was still in a half-comatose state. The first thing he did when he reached their accommodation was flop down on his bed and sleep, the bag still in his hand. He didn't even listen to Jessie's threats of what she'd do to him for shutting the door in her face pretty much, if indeed he heard them at all.

      Several hours later, he awoke with a deep hunger, only this time it was for food and he _had_ to do something about it, unlike last night when he'd wanted to cease his starvation of a different nature but sensibly voted against it. The bag thudded softly on the ground when he sat up, reminding him of its presence. He got off the bed and walked into the kitchen to prepare something, noticing a note stuck to his forehead after a while when he'd sufficiently appreciated his surroundings. He peeled it off with a wince as it took a couple of hairs from his eyebrow in the motion, and discovered she'd written she'd gone out for a walk since he was proving boring company. He shrugged and threw it in the general direction of the bin at the opposite end of the room, missing it by half an inch or so. He took his food back to his bed and extracted Jessie's costume whilst she wasn't around, picturing her in it with incredible ease. Judging by the cut of it, it should go at most halfway down her knees, with the top of it exposing more skin than it covered. He liked this play already. He took out a script and flicked through it, stopping when he came to the scene where it said the umbreon was watching her from the bushes as she bent down to pick some flowers. He was seriously wondering if the writers had thought about his needs when they wrote it, as if Jessie bent down with any side of her facing him it would be ideal, the only problem being he'd have to calm himself down quickly since his scene would be up next.

      He heard the key turning in the lock and immediately stuffed the items back into the bag, strategically placing the plate on a certain area of his body. She shot him a look of surprise at him being awake and commented on it. He chose to ignore this and asked her if she wanted anything. She said no and sat on the bed beside him, not overly close but he feared to move in case the plate followed suit, but in the opposite direction; he couldn't risk needing to go to bed again when she knew he'd only recently awoken. He suddenly noticed the headers on the script read the solitary rehearsal date and the night of the concert, and he realised with horror they were within four hours of each other and it failed to grant time for mistakes or questions if it were to be done with time between the shows. His ashen face made Jessie worry it was her sudden presence after her schizophrenic mood last night, but instead of saying anything about it she followed his eyes and saw the dates, or more accurately, date. What was worse, it was in a night's time, making it evident to everyone why the auditions had only lasted two hours—there was no more time they could possibly allow otherwise. Fortunately most of the play was going to be more visual than vocal and judging by the length of it, it would last for at most an hour. She snatched the script and read it, something suddenly striking her.

      "You landed me the role with almost all of the lines!"

      "Would you prefer to be the creepy old wrinkly grandmama?"

      "NO I WOULD—hang on; you sounded so gay just then!"

      He shot her a dark contemptuous glare that should have silenced her, but instead it filled her with evil inspiration.

      "Can I see the costume please?"

      He passed her the material and she shook her head in disgust, whilst James' mind was roaring for her to try it on there, in front of him, so much so in fact he was afraid of her overhearing him.

      "I'm not wearing that"

      "You've got the role and it's too late, unless you want the whole school to know you were the one responsible for the lack of this year's talentless show. Why don't you want to anyway?"

      "There's something about me you don't know"

      "Like what? You're secretly a man?"

      He wished he hadn't said it and prayed even harder it wasn't true. His mouth went incredibly dry and his eyes involuntarily wandered to her nether regions. Damn her for wearing a long dark pleated skirt that made his search futile.

      "No I'm completely woman; in fact I'm too much woman for it"

      "I'm not following you here"

      She undid a couple of buttons of her vibrant blouse, noting with embarrassment his eyes were locked on that location. He was incredibly glad the plate was there, but it was beginning to tilt at an odd angle even though he was holding it up. Damn her for doing this to him…unless she was hinting she wanted to do something else to him. Damn her for making him think instead of telling her.

      "I strap every day to keep a decent figure; it'd be too much if I can't do it with that neckline. I'll look like a hooker"

      He saw the bandages underneath the small 'v' she'd created in her clothing but felt disappointment when she failed to continue. At least this explained why she never wore anything he'd like to see her in and only got changed for bed with her back to him, but then again if she had any shred of modesty she'd do that anyway. He mentally screamed for her to keep stripping even though he had a fairly decent idea she was very much disinclined to follow his notion.

      "You can't look all that bad in it, I'm sure it'll look even better on you that way, as…"

      He trailed off having decided that 'you'll fill it out more and make the length shorter' was not an altogether appropriate reply when he was convincing her to wear it. She gave him a hopeful look for him to finish so he had a retry.

      "It'll show the school you've a good body and talent to match it, not just a beauty, you have brains too"

      "'Beauty?'"

      "Erm, yeah"

      "Now I know you're messing around"

      "I'm not, have you known me to lie? Would I have--?"

      He trailed off, this time because he did not want to bring up their brief liaison in the dark in case she thought him immature to obsess about it. If she figured out what he was about to mention it, he'd expect her to storm off again. She knew only too well what he intended to say and responded with something he'd never have expected in thirty lifetimes. She grabbed the costume and headed into the en suite with determination in her stride.

      She emerged a couple of minutes later, looking far better than anything he could have ever fantasised. She'd undone her twin plaits and let her slightly crinkled hair lay freely beyond her shoulders. The velvet overcoat hung loosely on her body, whereas the shiny satin under-piece suited her figure perfectly. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed the difference in the size of her bust when he'd seen her getting changed last night—it was nearly twice as big. As suspected, the material failed to hide much of her legs and looked even hotter when she walked, where the material moved with her but didn't move so much she exposed anything, only gave delicious hints to the male. She sat where she'd been only a few minutes before but this time her legs were firmly closed, as the material moved even further up her body as she sat down. The plate slid off his knees and onto the bedcovers, and it was difficult to tell who was more embarrassed by this revelation. James at least plucked up enough courage to speak first in case she made another sudden unexpected departure.

      "I apologise but I can't control my body, you're gorgeous in that. Well, you're gorgeous anyway but it seems it was too much for me to hide from you this time"

      "That's why I don't want to be on display for all the men out there, I don't want to be the local porn star. Hang on, what did you mean by this time?"

      "You really don't want to know the answer to that"

      "Hey, you—"

      He never found out what he was though, as at that moment there was a knock on the door. James looked at her as if she should get it, but with her glare and glance downwards he sighed and wished he could make his problem a little less obvious. It was the pair of auditors again, with three students he recognised, but again couldn't name.

      "Is Jessie around? I thought we could talk about the rehearsal times, and to see if she's okay with the pressure of basically having the whole play to learn. These are the other actors, and I assumed you didn't want to meet each other for the first time tomorrow"

      "Yeah, erm now's not a great time but—"

      One of the actors, the boy, sneezed and when he opened his eyes he noticed James' problem, and shot him a look of a hybrid between shock and disgust. James met his expression and hoped the others hadn't noticed it either. He pushed the door open so they could walk in, the actor pausing to whisper 'what the hell's wrong with you?' to which James pointed behind him, and it became evident he'd seen Jessie from his face change. He shut the outer door and knew what Jessie meant when she didn't want to be on show, as the men in the room were staring at her with looks of lust displayed on their faces. He coughed loudly to remind the auditors their reason for being there, and the one with glasses said:

      'Ah yes, glad to see you're getting into character and all, how do you feel with this?"  
      "Actually, I have a prob--"

      "Excellent, it'll be easy to say your performance will be the breast, er best. This is Stephanie; she'll be playing your mother in this"

      He indicated to a shy brunette who nodded quietly, wishing attention hadn't been placed on her like that. She was the only other female that had shown up that hadn't stormed out when they learnt they'd given away the leading role already. He'd cut Jessie off without even listening to the start of her protest, far more interested in the light reflecting off the clothing and how it teased at what lay beneath. His partner continued for him.

      "This is Cassidy; she'll be playing your grandmother"

      A jealous looking blonde sourly looked at the room mates, making it lucid it was the redhead's role she desired.

      "This is Timothy, he'll--"

      The boy whispered into his ear.

      "Sorry, this is 'butch', is it? Butch is going to play the woodcutter. I expect to see you all at dress rehearsal tomorrow at twelve sharp in the auditorium"

      "Why was there only a day between casting and the production?"

      "Because if the play's a disaster, at least the audience will stay to laugh at the terrible acting, pointing out victims for future torture"

      Stephanie gulped loudly as the other interviewer said it was all they wanted, not being able to bring himself to run over the scripts with them like he usually did every other year he'd been in charge of the productions. A couple of minutes passed before James spoke up again.

      "Could you please get out then if there's nothing else instead of staring at the leading lady in so foul a manner?"

      They left, with Timothy, or Butch as he liked to be called for the weightlifting he did, reluctantly staring back behind him, allowing Jessie to receive another evil glare from the blonde. Apparently he must be her boyfriend or something, and she was jealous because of this as well. Within minutes the whole school knew of the attire and how it looked on the lead, guaranteeing total ticket sales the next day. When they were alone again James opened the door to the en suite, expecting Jessie to storm right into it when given the first chance. Instead, she looked at him and asked him if he wanted her to take it off in that case, to which he replied negatively. James stood in front of her and caressed her face as he inquired if she was feeling all right, deliberately not looking anywhere except for her face. She nodded a little shakily then pushed him back with some force so he landed on his back.

      He was about to protest as soon as his back hit off the floor, but silenced his words when she knelt, straddling his hips and bent down so her lips were just above his. The dress barely covered her now, as he pleasantly discovered when she removed her overcoat, feeling heat like nothing before rise in him. He could see each partition in her irises, feeling this was infinitely better than the night before when she'd been almost shy and this time the light was on, glorifying the moment for him. She lowered her lips and touched against his before standing back up and walking back towards his bed. She got under the covers as he watched her, partly afraid to move in case she wanted him to leave her alone, and partly afraid in case she wanted him to join her there and then he didn't. She folded her knees so they created a triangle with her feet a couple of inches away from her derrière and took off the skimpy dress, knowing she couldn't have flashed him from that angle. He was immediately standing and on his way over, feeling she couldn't have done that without ulterior motives in her mind. She clutched the material against her and asked him how much he wanted her.

      "I can't express how much I want you, and that's a fact. It's not just your body I'm after in case you're thinking that"

      "What would you do to have me?"  
      "Anything"

      "Even if meant you'd forever lose your pride because of it?"

      "I wouldn't be ashamed of going out with you; it'd be more like I wouldn't feel worthy enough to be with someone as fascinating as you. I'd die for you"

      "That won't be necessary, but you're not lying just to be with me are you?"

      "No, I don't lie, ever. You're safe with me, I'll never mistreat you"

      "Good"

      She had an ulterior motive, but first she'd have to lure his trust a little closer. He was sweating slightly as he approached her, dreading the possibility of her asking if he had a girlfriend at home; how could he explain he was due to get married in a couple of years? He kissed her passionately, wanting her to drop the covers but didn't want to force her to do it either, hoping he wouldn't wake up with a mouthful of feathers like he'd done in the past, and this was real. She dealt with his clothing as best she could, then she remarked his hips did look a little girly as he stood up to remove his lower clothing. He shot her a look of sheer annoyance but held his tongue lest it endangered the opportunity he presently had. She grinned to herself not-so-innocently, and asked him to try on the dress. He looked at her with a hint of disgust and asked her straight-out if she was bisexual. She denied it and explained she just wanted to see what he'd look like as it was a turn-on, even though that sentence was a total lie. She looked at him in it, despite his protests at feeling gay, and made him turn around so she could view him from all angles. He mentally vowed to get her back for this and wished he could be strong enough to deny her something. When he turned around again she was sitting with the covers still around her but she was sitting with her legs hanging off the side of his bed. She asked him to remove her red shoes, which he did obligingly, hoping to get out of the dress soon even if he didn't have sex with her as it made him feel highly uncomfortable. He gave her a look of disdain-tinged horror when she spoke her next order.

      "You're playing the girl"

      "No way, I don't do drag"

      "What about now?"

      "You asked me to, it's not by personal preference let me assure you"

      "You want me to be stared at like a lump of meat? What happens when one's too horny to control it and rapes me afterwards? Do you want to be the one to cause that risk? Did you want me to just be Little Red Riding Your Manhood? I thought you said you never lied anyway"

      "I don't, but you're not being very fair here"

      "You said you'd sacrifice your dignity to be with me, was that just a lie to screw me?"

      "No, I'll do it because I said I would and I'm a man of my word"

      "Someone's already made a man out of you?"  
      "No, but I'm not a child either"

      "I can see that, which is why I believe you. Now get out of the dress"

      She stood up and let the covers fall and kissed him when the offending item was thrown off with a heavy blush creeping across her cheeks. He touched her hips gingerly, too afraid to do anything else in case she shied away like last night. She turned and pushed him onto the bed, sitting on his lap with little care. He pulled back sharply with watering eyes, as she'd successfully twisted two very delicate parts of his anatomy. She apologised and sat beside him, saying he'd get her side of the bargain when he'd completed his. She kissed him again and left for the bathroom to put on what she'd been wearing before and to give him a few minutes to relieve the pain. When she returned fully clothed, he was lying back, dressed, reading the script again. He suddenly despised the story very much and wished it were something where he'd have clothes on and play a man. Oh wait, that's what it was until he agreed to everything Jessie had said without finding out what she wanted first. Why had he read out the article on it to her in the first place? She asked him what he was doing and he replied a little sullenly that he had to learn almost the whole play that night and suggested he learned 'his' lines so the swap ran smoothly the next day. He acrimoniously wondered how he was going to prance through the forest picking flowers without falling over his feet or flashing the audience (the very thought made his blood run chilled).

      He was just glad there was a hood he could pull over his head before she made him dye his hair or pluck his already fairly nice naturally shaped eyebrows. He just hoped she'd listen to him when he pointed this out tomorrow. Especially when it came to him wanting to veto anything to do with wax.


	3. Fear Induced Frustration And Frollicking

      James woke up at around half nine and immediately wanted to return to slumber, knowing what cruel fate awaited him with its embracing arms of humiliation crying out to him. If he hadn't been the type of person he was he could keep his umbreon costume and tell Jessie her love wasn't worth all that much to him. He knew he'd never do this though, especially when he'd learnt all the lines he needed off by heart already and to learn other ones would almost certainly guarantee the failure on his part. He'd been eager to ring his parents and tell him of his performance, wanting to win a scrap of pride or maybe even love at the news, but now he just hoped it didn't get back to him from the parents of some of his schoolmates. His parents were distant enough from him without this unnecessary disgrace he was bringing upon himself to win the heart of a girl that wasn't the psychotic fiancée they'd selected for him. He stretched to pop a couple of stiff bones, standing up when he was refreshed enough. Panic flooded through his system when he peeled another sticker from his forehead, this time telling him she'd gone shopping to gather a few things to make him a better girl, and he could foot the bill when she came back. He swallowed nervously at her afterthought; he'd have to ring his parents and ask them for a bit of extra money to pay for whatever it was as he'd only enough to see him by for food for the next two weeks and that was tightly rationed as it was. He dressed casually, knowing he'd be changing later in the day anyway, depending when his torturer returned, and he cast a longing look at the bag that held the umbreon's outfit. Not exactly manly because it was made of spandex, but it was at least an evil character and not a girl in little to nothing in the way of attire. Suddenly he pictured Jessie in her new outfit—not quite as pleasing but still it would cling to her body—wait, if it clung to her body then everyone would know she was female, he was saved as her escape route wasn't feasible! He was safe and there was nothing she'd be able to do about it!

      He was just in the middle of deciding whether to leave learning his new lines before or after Jessie heard his inkling, when the said female walked briskly into their accommodation. She dumped a bag on the small table they possessed, telling him to strip off. She extracted a few items and it took her a few moments to realise he had yet to move from where he sat, then she quickly repeated her order. He explained his theory to her and she grunted, then informed him she'd got the situation in hand, and repeated her request with a harsher tone in her voice. He felt disheartened by this and carried out his orders, wondering how she was going to hide her body from an auditorium full of critical teenagers, no matter how well their parents raised them. Without glancing at him from her business, she requested he put on the outfit so she could figure out what she had to do to make it look like he was a girl. Two horrible thoughts split his dignity; he hated her degrading him to dressing in a skimpy girl's outfit and he wanted her to have it done as soon as possible. The other part wanted desperately for her to work on it for ages; otherwise it implied he was similar to the opposite sex, something else he didn't want.

      He'd never felt as stupid as he did then, standing in drag before the girl he wanted to impress was not a recommended route for high self-esteem. She eyed him up and stepped closer, kissing him lightly to loosen him up. When his hands were on her shoulders, she utilised her plan; she tugged at his underwear until it was at his ankles and demanded he stepped out of them. He sat on his heels and tried to reclaim them, even though it was almost completely futile as she had a grip like rigor mortis.

      "You can't wear them with that; you can't have the material coming down past the hem of the dress"

      "There is no way you're getting me to wear that without anything underneath, or something else will hang down that would be far more incriminating than boxers! I'm not Scottish, you can't make me!"

      "Now that you're finished your outburst, are you ready to listen? I never said you weren't allowed to wear anything, but you're going to have to trust me on this one okay?"

      "Depends"

      "Listen, you'll obey my every word unless you want me to cut it off myself"

      He fell quiet very suddenly and allowed her to finish what she'd started doing. He released an involuntary shiver from both the cold air and the threat she'd made. It was easy for him not to get turned on by this, as being in a dress killed the possibility entirely, in spite of Jessie kneeling and her head being at just the right level…now she was standing up. Now she was removing her own underwear…

      "NO, I'm not wearing any more drag, do you hear me?"  
      "If you never lie then why did you agree to listen to me and then question your orders? You **_will_** wear these; otherwise you're even more prone to wrecking the plan than you are now. Do you want other men taking advantage of me because you couldn't dress up for a couple of hours? Remember what I'm doing for you, or rather what I'll do to you if you pull this off. And what I'll pull off if you don't"

      He ignored the last part of what she'd said and instead of thinking about neither of them wearing any underwear with the promise of them having sex that night. Well, if she kept her end of the bargain, that is. And with the thought of Jessie's height as she crouched to put the offensive item on him, his problem reoccurred, much to her despair.

      "Please stop doing that"

      "I've as much control over it as I do over my role, i.e. none at all Jess"

      "Is there anything you can do to stop it? I mean, if it happens during the play can you reverse it before anyone notices?"  
      "Not a hope"

      "Anything you can do to stop it happening in the first place?"  
      "Yeah, work with men"

      "Is there an option other than that?"

      "I'm not sure if you've ever heard about a little thing called mast--"

      "YES, and does it matter if it's you or someone else when the job gets done? I mean are the odds higher or lower of it happening when someone other than you did it"

      "They're about the same really, why?"

      "That's all I wanted to know and for the last time trust me"

      Twenty minutes later, James left the adjoining en suite with a look of thunder across his face. Whilst Jessie really had tried her best, her being an absolute novice and all, she'd managed to eliminate the problem almost straight away by scraping a couple of seven inch long trenches with her teeth, making him bleed almost the instant the cuts arrived. It was still incredibly tender but he returned to her making him over, in her underwear, to make sure they were prepared before the play rehearsal. He didn't need to veto wax at all it seemed, but the alternative was infinitely worse in his eyes, even though he needn't worry about anyone noticing stubble on his body after it. She'd bought him a set of black suspenders and a belt which she said was as much to cover up the fine hair on his legs as to keep the audience's eyes on his legs and not examining his chest or crotch too closely. He felt even stupider when he had them on, though he really wanted to see her in her red laced underwear with the belt, as he imagined they'd look really hot on her. There was no fear of him getting an erection no matter how filthy his thoughts got as it was sore just thinking about it, and for the first time, he was dreading the thought of sleeping with her. With her luck, she'd probably give him a vasectomy during sex or something.

      The suspenders were only the beginning of the torture she had planned for him, and it was probably the part that made him feel the straightest when compared to its stiff competition. She'd made him tie his hair back as sleekly as it would go and then she put an Alice band in it to keep the stray hair away from his face as it would be a dead giveaway to his identity. He'd hurriedly saved himself from voice training when he pointed out the only time their producers and co-workers had heard her talk was when she'd started to say she had a problem where they hadn't listened anyway, so a straight, passable falsetto as his abilities were best able to create should suffice instead of mimicking her perfectly. Then, she'd made him sit down because she wanted to put hooks on the inside of the hood to clip to the band so they needn't worry about the hood falling back or anything. She wasn't tall enough to do this standing up, and he fearfully held his crotch with both hands in case her knee hit off it as she pinioned one thigh. With this slight adaptation, the hood rested on the bridge of his nose and shadowed a lot of his face well. She ran her fingers along his face when she was finished, her soft caress sending waves of pleasure along his spine, until she opened her mouth. 

      "Just as well you don't need to worry about shaving otherwise we'd have a problem with the rest of your skin"

      He irately informed her he'd shaved every other day for over a year and a half. She failed to meet his eyes again for several minutes as she could tell by his tense body he wasn't in the most affable of moods. She touched his lips lightly with her own then asked him to take it off, as she'd need to wear it herself in the dress rehearsals to make sure they weren't found out prematurely. If they were, then the damage caused by it could possibly be more catastrophic than if the truth came out later, as without a chance to prove themselves it would result in a scandal. He didn't move right away, feeling humiliated by the whole ordeal yet part of him felt like it was worthwhile since it was something she wanted. He moved his arms and pulled her closer, ignoring her knee touching his delicate area as the sweet taste of her lips more than made up for it. He still had no idea how she expected him to pull it off when the outfit ruled out stuffing until he had a chest, but he was glad she hadn't pointed out his Adam's apple wasn't very prominent. He couldn't deny that one, but it still made him feel self-conscious when she'd kept harping on about how various aspects of his body were effeminate. Her kissing became more passionate and he touched more of her this time, noting with interest she hadn't strapped herself down but because of his injury, he was unable to embarrass himself with the same problem he'd frequently suffered from since knowing her. He just wished he wasn't wearing clips in his hair as it was destroying the moment slightly for him.

      At the auditorium at the designated time, the two lust-filled teenagers joined their fellow cast members for listening to the producers telling them what to do, or more specifically, what Jessie should do for most of the time, and how her act should involve a lot of bending down and vigorous prancing. She felt inner disgust at displaying her body like that, even if the only people to see _her_ doing it would be the production crew. James found it easy to once again deny his instincts from embarrassing him, as it would look even worse in the spandex he was wearing as part of his costume, plus he was too busy stifling laughter from Cassidy done up as an old woman to enthusiastically think about Jessie skipping about. Timothy, or Butch as he wanted to be referred to by all, looked quite respectable in the part as the weightlifting he supposedly did as a hobby plumped his muscles up sufficiently to make him look like he was a woodcutter as a profession. It was just as well it was the sour blonde he was laughing at and not him, as he was positive that he didn't want to be that person's opponent at any stage. James wasn't weak but he was far from being as strong as his muscle-bound co-star sitting opposite to him, as much as he despised him trying to see what lay beneath Jessie's outfit. If he was dressing in drag, he should be the only one to reap the rewards otherwise it made the whole thing a little pointless. The other girl looked fantastic as the mother, and it seemed she'd gained an infinite amount of confidence by getting into the character.

      When it came to practising the play itself, Jessie shot a fearful look at James when she realised she didn't know a single line for that character and she didn't have a valid reason for it. He luckily caught sight of her horror-struck face and covered up for her without missing a heartbeat, as if he'd already contemplated this possible outcome and planned a formula to work against it. She held onto her breath, only barely conscious of the men looking at her even more puffed out chest now, and that whatever James said would probably remain unheeded by the males. Especially since they liked her idea of wearing suspenders with it, it made it more interesting for them when she sat with her legs crossed.

      "Jessie has requested to save her voice for the dress rehearsal, as is a regular occurrence with most professional actors as it limits possible disasters, especially when you were so stupid as to set the play on the same day as the solitary rehearsal. Where's the time required to rectify any mistakes? You haven't allowed for it today in any event. If you have any qualms about her decision then please feel free to consult the academy I attended and tell them their star-producing system is wrong, knowing that if you do you'll lose two of your cast and my parents will want to know your valid reasons. You do know what they've done in the past don't you?"

      It seemed the producers were listening after all, as they shot each other a decidedly panicked expression, as if they knew what fate could befall them without another word from James' mouth. They both reluctantly agreed and the auditorium sprang to life as the rehearsal began. Jessie flashed him an appreciative grin and suddenly realised that he looked great in his skin-tight outfit (though less great now he wore the head of the costume) and wondered if he was wearing anything under it, as they both knew she'd have to swap with him again.

      The rehearsal consisted of little other than Jessie posing in various positions and preparing when she was supposed to jump in fright when her grandmother turned out to be an evil pokémon, as it made her body move but her dress stayed dangerously still. Halfway through the practice session, James told the producers he was going to give Jessie some private tuition to certify she'd be able to perform correctly in an hour's time. They reluctantly agreed to his condition as they could remember the threat he'd presented and so they let it be the only factor for the result where they didn't tell him to get stuffed. They longed to persist in watching her flaunt her body more, but thought they couldn't be too mean to him because he'd been the one to cast her in the first place. He led her into one of four changing rooms and locked the door behind them, craving it was something else they needed privacy for where they'd still be removing their clothing. She removed her overcoat carefully in case she knocked the pins out of place and took off her red shoes, instantly a couple of inches shorter than James, who was in the process of removing the umbreon outfit very carefully, not wanting to rip the flimsy material as it would cause irreparable trouble for them at this stage. He couldn't justify his thoughts, but he suddenly felt very vulnerable to her, and very shy about exposing himself to her even though her attire was hardly any better with all the tantalising hints it delivered.

      She sensed his discomfort and stepped closer to him, requesting he helped her remove the dress himself. He obliged, still feeling nervous at her presence. As he slid it down her body, she followed his hands with her eyes and caught sight of the heavy evidence her teeth had made on his body. She apologised and he knew what she meant from looking where her gaze was headed, feeling more out of place with her being there than before, and knowing he was about to put on the outfit she was wearing became more daunting as he suddenly understood the tickets had sold out to see a buxom lead, not a man in drag and the whole school could find out within seconds if there was any flaw in his acting or costume. She rested her body weight on her toes and kissed him, allowing his embrace as he held her against his body, and suddenly she felt nervous at him feeling her body with his torso, it was almost as if it was the final barrier overcome between them. As more heat generated in their bodies, Jessie wondered how long it would take for them to practice for the play, or if they could practice something else first.

      With little more than fifteen minutes left before the play, the couple were in major trouble. Not only was neither in any of their outfits, they seemed to have forgotten about a little thing women possess called a hymen. There was blood everywhere and they had nothing to clean themselves up with except a yard's length of white material that didn't look too clean. It was only after James used it to clean himself up a bit (he wouldn't let Jessie put it anywhere near her as it could cause her damage, not because he was selfish) that he discovered it wasn't just her blood—his cuts had reopened and spilt liquid with a vengeance. It had been a total disaster as neither had climaxed and neither had made it through without a shred of agony. In fact, both were crying at one point from the absolute pain, well, James' eyes had teared up atrociously and it was unclear whether or not any fell. Then a terrible realisation sprang into James' head; since he'd been banned from wearing any underwear and they were both bleeding, who was going to go commando? He had a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach from what he assumed the answer was and he didn't want to hear it. He assumed this is how he received unjust punishment when his parents and fiancée weren't around to deliver it personally.

      He'd held her trembling body against his own for as long as they could spare the time, and he was glad her role wasn't going to be active right away like his would be in the hope some time on her own could sedate her. He kissed her deeply and thanked her even though he wished they hadn't done anything as it wasn't remotely close to how he'd visualised losing his virginity. The only part similar to it was that it had been with her. Neither had really thought about what they were meant to do, and their mutual pain had almost stunned James as he knew their sudden lust shouldn't have been the reason for them doing it in the first place. He felt irresponsible and wished they'd rehearsed for another half an hour where they wouldn't have had the time to even consider it or put a hideous rift between the two. He kissed her again when she didn't reply, this time feeling her respond more than last time which was a relief in itself as it showed she was dragging herself out of her depression. He decided to go out on a limb and told her how he truly felt about her, and then he stood up to put the foul outfit on, hating the suspender belt even more than he had the night before. He helped his friend up, not caring that the only thing she'd done was stare at him when he'd said he loved her. She was completely right to hate him after the pain he could only begin to think he must have caused her, as he felt squeamish even at the thought of piercing almost dead-to-the-world skin like lower ears. She shakily stood up and went to put on the umbreon outfit, knowing she'd spoil it with blood and was grateful it was dark so it at least wouldn't show up easily. She just hoped it wouldn't drip through the material and leave a crimson trail behind her. She noted his attempts at getting dressed without her aid and she informed him he should have put the suspenders on after her underwear, where he pointed out his decision she needed it more, as spandex would absorb the fluid quickly and if it clotted it would stick to her and make matters a whole lot worse than if blood appeared on his costume through it—who'd be man enough to make fun of a 'girl' who was on a period without being personally grossed out? Plus it would stop people looking at him in that way if they noticed it. She smiled appreciatively and fixed her appearance as quickly as she could.

      She strapped herself down with more pressure on her chest than usual, and by the time she'd finished doctoring her appearance she looked almost masculine. She took the used cloth and as much as that action revolted her, she folded it to a certain thickness and stuffed it along her crotch to absorb more blood as much as to make here look like she possessed something in that area which she physically did not. His feet felt like he'd lose an inch or two through chafing as they didn't fit him and he hoped the stockings would ladder at the ankles to keep people from looking at the other end of his legs too closely. She commanded him to sit down and he did so, knowing he was far too tall for her to assist him otherwise. She fixed his hair with the same method she'd used that morning, checking there were no tight hairs to create a headache, ultimately distracting him to the point his falsetto would drop and he'd forget a line or something else guaranteed to construct a gaping hole in their well thought out plan.

      With five minutes left she kissed him fervently, lulling him into a false sense of security before she dropped the bombshell he'd never considered; make-up. He said he didn't need or want any as his face would be hidden by the hood, but she insisted in case the light hit him, as a sparkling eye shadow would draw attention to that and not his male features as likely as not, and since he'd have at least half his face on show, lipstick was certainly necessary. He reluctantly saw her point of view and allowed her to work on him so they wouldn't have another long argument over it as they didn't have the time to spare for it. He nearly cried with shame when he thought about him wearing a tiny dress and make-up…hang on, Jessie had gotten rid of her own chest but never gave him one! They had less than a minute to go and he still looked masculine in that sense, it was never going to work…

      She smiled as she applied the finishing touches then touched his chest gently when she was just about to get up. He jumped in fright when she did that, sending her to the floor as he did it unintentionally, as she'd activated some sort of device he didn't know she'd sewn into the insides of the dress, and two small balloon-type contraptions stopped swelling when they were the size of a convincing pair of breasts, and looked real enough to a natural woman. He was scared, not because of their sudden appearance as much as he was almost a female and hadn't enjoyed sex as a man, was she turning him gay? Would he become a transsexual after this because he became accustomed to his appearance and ways of acting throughout the play, or worse would she turn lesbian because of her strange infatuation with him in drag? He furiously prayed against both, though he was caught between two thoughts on this. If she was with another man if she decided she didn't want to go out with him anymore, he'd be forever comparing him to her and wondering how much better the new person was, but if she went out with women, even though it would be a turn-on for him, he'd think about she turned homosexual after a brief spell with him, and after sex as well. He was already in so deep it was as easy to wade further than to turn back, so no matter what happened the damage was already done. He might as well make a better woman than Jessie would have, and hope she'd learnt some of the lines so he wouldn't have to think of something to ad lib and maintain a falsetto when he thought of something to fill the gaps with.

      He opened the door again with determination as they left together, his face nicely shaded and they strode towards the hall where the curtain was down, waiting to begin and their fates would be put to the test with the following performance. The pain was subsiding in his organ, and he felt like nothing could make him show up his true gender in the play, nothing. Jessie was covered up, had the wrong types of genitalia for his pleasing and her skin tight outfit would have no bearing on him. Or so he thought, unaware of how horribly wrong it was all about to become when it was so close to perfection. They'd forgotten to check out the other props first, too consumed in their own to think about foreign factors worth worrying over.

      If only the worst part of it all was someone realising 'she' was a he within a few minutes…


	4. From Masterpiece To Disasterpiece

      James swallowed in an attempt to alleviate the rising nerves choking him as he looked out of a gap in the curtains and discovering with utmost horror the auditorium was full. So much so that a large portion of the student body resorted to sitting on the steps in the aisles to guarantee they could see the production. The annual play usually raked in at most sixty spectators to the performance, with actors and crew inclusive. He took up a piece of chalk in his hand and desired an escape route now more than ever as he knew his time was up, and when he'd been so chivalrous to give Jessie the underwear, he seemed to have forgotten the producers wanted to start the game with 'her' playing hopscotch. His unease increased as whereas the dress had made Jessie look spectacular when her full bust had filled it out, he felt dismal as he was naturally taller than her anyway and risked exposing himself far more than she did. Things could turn very ugly if he slipped up, as his parents were bound to find out about it at some point or another if his secret became common knowledge. Jessie touched his hips and whispered she loved him back before turning backstage and hiding behind the props in case anyone went to ask for advice from the supposed world champion. He was on his own now and knew it, feeling like this performance was life or death for him, knowing it very well could be. If he turned men on when they thought he was a girl, and then turned out to have something he shouldn't. Well, if it was him he'd personally want to vomit everything out of his system before beating the hell out of the impostor.

      The curtain rose steadily, signalling the beginning of the end for him. He squeezed the chalk in fear so hard that it snapped loudly as the credit for the production took place. One piece shot off into a corner but fortunately a piece remained in his hand so he wouldn't delay the introduction. With infinite disgust he eyed a skipping rope idly left by the side of the stage, obviously left in the hope Jessie would feel like giving them a treat. He immediately vowed to certify he'd lie and say he'd never laid eyes on it should anyone pose him questions about its lack of usage. He swallowed again and took shaky steps towards to the centre of the stage, ignoring the leering cheers from all the males and a few of the girls. A lot of females looked as bitter and as sour as the girl called Cassidy had the night before. Whether it was to do with the producers failing to cast them as the lead or if they were jealous their partners were eying up other women he could not tell, but the fury was nearly as off-putting as the male attention he received. Although he'd never really been one, after this occasion he mentally swore to become homophobic in case he became tempted from prancing about in a dress. To polish off the final insult, he was wearing make-up as well as dressing as a woman. He ground his teeth as he _skipped_ merrily to the area he was supposed to play in onstage, wishing to grind the chalk too, as he couldn't play hopscotch when he'd only powder to draw the frame with. He didn't do this as he knew the skipping rope would be his only option, and that would be foul for all involved in his eyes.

      He selected the option of drawing the layout for his game tediously slow in the hope his 'mother' would come out and tell him to leave quickly without any need for him to even toss the smooth pebble once. Unfortunately for him, the producers were staring at him as he squatted; making him feel even more uneasy but glad he could feel the material covering enough of him up before fear sank in. They were probably admiring the ribbons on his suspenders and nothing else, he hoped. He hated them more than ever, not because they stared at him but because he heard a hushed whispered order for Stephanie to stay back until they said it was time for her to go on. He sped up his work as he felt he might as well get the whole thing over and done with as soon as possible as the quicker he started the hell, the quicker it would be over. At least the first row was a few feet back from the stage, and there was even a barrier erected to protect this space in case the attention was too much for the actors and caused them to quit mid-act, as they'd done in past productions. Beauty And The Beast had been an absolute nightmare, mainly because they'd cast a boy with a hair growth disorder that made him run off in tears when people shouted the hairy face looked terrible and they should have done a better job. The boy ran offstage wailing and transferred the next day, nobody in the school ever hearing from him again. He made the frame as big as he could without going nearer the crowd or exits at the sides of the stage, his aim deadly accurate each time as he didn't want to bend down more than was necessary. Much to his disgust Stephanie only appeared onstage when he was bending down to pick up the pebble from number twelve, his balance perfect even though he was standing on one leg. He sped through his return back to his starting place to talk to her straight away, eager to move on to the next scene even though it probably wouldn't be much more dignifying. He really wished they'd stayed for more of the rehearsal now.

      Disaster struck. She opened her arms to hug her daughter as the producers had told her to do, as they were evidently looking for a nice girl-on-girl still for their collection. A good few people in the audience had similar thoughts judging by the large quantity of camera flashes that went off. Stephanie pulled back from the embrace and caressed her cheek with a loving gaze, but then it suddenly turned to one of shock when she moved 'her' head back into the light. James gave her a pleading look and covered for her stalling when the lines were due to commence.

      "What is it mama? Are you ill? Why do you look at me like that?"

      He sounded so much like Jessie he scared himself.

      "Er, I **am** a little under the weather, but I promised your grandmother I'd deliver her some cooked goods and I cannot travel in this weather due to how I feel. Your father is busy working otherwise I'd send him, but…"

      "It's ok mama, I'll go for you if you give me what you wish to deliver. I love you and could not bear the thought of you wandering in this heat with a fever. You should lie down, maybe that feeling you have will pass when you try not to think about it"

      He deliberately used a different phrasing than the one he'd learnt as it was to hint at her to lose the expression she still bore, in case the audience twigged what was really going on. Or the cast either for that matter, so he prayed she wouldn't voice the truth to anyone just yet. She shook away the feeling and tried to resume a loving expression on her face, but it would be more appropriate if she were to use it on a baby that she loved, but had just thrown up on her.

      "Why how right you are my dear, just remember two things: don't go into the forest because there's a hungry umbreon in there, and you don't want it to attack you do you? And secondly, don't stop to pick any flowers, in case it's not yours for the taking. Do you remember the last incident?"

      James nodded furiously, almost haphazardly as he tried to recall a terrible memory that wasn't his.

      "Yes, I had Beedrill stings for days! It was as if I'd been eating a lot of cakes because the swelling made me look so fat mama!"

      "Good, now take this basket of food and go as quickly as you can, otherwise the Beedrills could come after you upon recognising the sweet taste of sugar in the air. Hurry my darling!"

      James nervously skipped offstage as a blue curtain sank down, the narrator reading out a passage telling the audience what was in the basket and other things to stall as the background prop was swapped by the producers and a green carpet rolled out onstage to act as grass. He tried his hardest not to vomit as he was still near enough to the crowd to hear the leering comments about 'Jessie's' superb body and how they hoped she'd get her kit off in fear in the next act or something. He shuddered violently as he heard one comment in particular that was referring to something 'she' should do which is completely unfit for this rating as well as most adult films. Stephanie tapped him roughly on the shoulder and asked him what sort of sick freak he was, to which he told her to keep her voice down and that Jessie had suddenly gotten a period when they were rehearsing privately, and with nothing to protect herself with he'd learnt the lines as a particular favour in case the play was ruined by blood running down her thighs. Stephanie gave him a look of disgust tinted with admiration, as she knew the thing would be cancelled if she'd bled onstage, and she promised not to say it to anyone in case they stormed off and left everyone in the lurch where the truth would come out anyway. He thanked her profusely and bit his lip as the curtain rose again.

      Jessie owed him big time for this, even though he knew she'd already given her end of it. Maybe she'd allow him a chance to redeem himself, when his bits were less prone to bleeding and she wasn't as sore, and preferably where he wouldn't wear a dress after it. He was so worried at his secret becoming known to all he'd almost asked his co-star for her underwear, but knew it would make it look like it was a fetish of his or something. This was going to be the longest two remaining acts of his life, especially if Jessie couldn't get his voice right as it would denote if nobody realised what it intended, they'd ridicule him for his voice breaking mid-production. On the only positive note involved, he was no longer bleeding and could walk with a little more ease than when he'd left the changing room. With an eager approach to finishing it as soon as possible, he reluctantly left his hiding place to face the crowd as a woman again.

      Words cannot begin to describe how much worse it was for the male when he returned to his unflattering occupation. The crowd seemed to have forgotten they were raised with manners and their crude, explicit comments made him think for a moment what his next line was. He nearly wet himself in terror when he looked at the extreme back of the hall, seeing his parents watching with their critical eyes. He wanted to run right now, as if they knew what was going on he'd either become emancipated or transferred to the school Jessie Belle attended as punishment. He tore his eyes away from the audience and determinedly placed the basket in front of the tender spot on his body and walked around between the trees and grass, wandering aimlessly as he was supposed to; looking for flowers to pick like his mother had forbidden him. He was glad it wasn't his real mother's instructions he was disobeying, very glad indeed. He suddenly noticed his chest wasn't quite as symmetrical as it could be and much to the majority of the spectators' delight, he put the basket down and moved the inflated airbags around until they looked alright to him, heralding more calls from the crowd, this time a whoop of delight shooting up from a producer that was near the self-fondling 'actress'. They thought that the time spent rehearsing with James must have done her good if she decided to act like that when there'd been no written instructions in the script for that. There was initially, until his partner decided some women may object and they'd have to hire a first year to do it, which would be so flat-chested it'd be as gratifying as hiring a man to wear the dress. But why would anyone be so desperate as to do that? He didn't realise he was a shining example of his own question.

      James nearly screamed in denial when he saw the pot of flowers where he was meant to extract his bunch from; it was a small collection of pansies. He began wondering if this was some type of symbolism his mind was creating, and that he really should turn his life to the ways of homosexuality. It would remove the threat of marrying Jessie Belle anyway, or else he could at least have an excuse for him not wanting to kiss her…no, he couldn't think like this, it's not his sexuality so he mustn't think like it was, just because he was in a dress and make-up. His enthusiasm in telling himself not to be affected by it wasn't quite working as well as it should with all facts considered but bent down carefully to pick them, praying the material covered him properly again. The crowd let another cheer out and he felt Jessie's hands on his hips. He jumped and turned around as he was unnerved, making for very good acting on his part even though it was unintentional. She whispered he was half an inch away from flashing the audience just then before reading her premier line, her voice indeed sounding too girly to imitate him correctly. His pallor made for an excellent portrayal of fear of an evil pokémon even though it was again unintentional, but he shook himself from the shock and resumed reciting his lines, despising speaking like a little girl, and looking like one too for that matter.

      "I'm not allowed to talk to strangers you mean pokémon you!"

      "That's not a polite response to a polite question"

      "I know, but I want you to leave me alone, go disturb someone else who isn't busy and maybe they'll be polite to you"

      "Why are you busy child?"

      "I'm on an errand for my mother, I've to visit my grandmama and give her this"

      Jessie suppressed giggles rather well, still thinking he sounded gay as he said it. She thought he may have heard her and glared heavily, knowing she was close enough to see through the shadows. The bleeding was still bothering her and she could barely breathe from the bandages, but at least the pain in her loins gave a lupine slope to her walk.

      "What's in the basket?"

      "Just some cookies and doughnuts and a few flowers I've picked for her"

      "Can I've one?"

      "No, they're for my grandmama and I can't take any out in case the Beedrills come"

      "You can trust me; I can use dragon rage to scare them off if they do appear"

      "Honestly? Oh that would be brilliant! Here, have a…hang on, umbreons don't know how to use dragon rage, you liar you!"

      "I'm a special one, as you should know by now. Can regular umbreons talk?"

      "No…but they aren't dragon-types…"

      "Hand the basket over, I want a doughnut!"

      "Waaaaagh, Ursaring!"

      The umbreon looked behind it to the spot where the little girl roughly pointed and James ran offstage while his 'opponent' was distracted by the oldest trick in the book. The narrator read out a passage as the pokémon shook with rage, telling the audience that it was so annoyed and hungry it would kill two fearows with one stone by heading to the only cottage in the woods to eat the sole occupant out of spite, then if it was still hungry it could eat the child and the baked goods for dessert. It sloped offstage and there was another scenery change, leaving James a chance to get a drink of water as his throat hurt from the continuous falsetto. He guzzled it down and wished it was something stronger even though he didn't drink anything alcoholic other than wine fairly regularly. He nearly started laughing when he heard the voice-only interlude conversation between Butch and Stephanie, as the parents of the girl realised they'd sent their daughter off with her special _cannabiscuits_ instead of brownies et al, as they'd found out on the woodcutter's lunch break. Stephanie told him to get to the place first and make sure that the woman didn't take a single bite of them in case it set her off like it had when they'd sent hash yoghurt in the regular dairy produce's place. He hadn't heard that part before, so they must have altered the scene when he wasn't there.

      During the interlude, James' mother told her husband that it had been a waste of their time and money sending him to the acting academy when the girl was clearly better at acting than he was. She made a mental note to deny him any extra cash he requested, regardless of the fact she possessed more money than she did specks of dust. When he returned to the stage, he forgot that it would involve Jessie being in bed, even though hideous grandmother-style clothing was over her skin-tight outfit. His pain became less apparent to him as he approached her, noting with interest she'd removed, or at least cut her bandages to make 'his' appearance in 'drag' was more believable. She noticed him staring and asked her granddaughter to approach the bed, as her failing vision stopped her from taking in her radiance as well as she should be able to. He glowered heavily at her for saying that but sat beside her anyway. He blushed fervently when he noticed where her line of vision was headed, realising she was admiring his well-endowed body from the angle his dress was in from that position, though she could have been focusing her attention on the marks adorning his skin.

      "What is it that you've brought me, dear child?"

      "Mama sent these for you, she wasn't well enough to deliver them herself. I picked these wonderful flowers for you though"

      "Pansies, are they? Why, they suit your persona perfectly"

      "Yes, they are bright and attractive aren't they?"

      James spat his last sentence out, hating her slight goading with her symbolism.

      "Yes, of course. That's exactly what I meant. Place them in this glass of water please child, I'll get a new container for my teeth later"

      "My, Grandmama, what big eyes you have"

      "It's all the better to see you with my dear. In case you hadn't noticed my vision's failing; it's not like what it used to be I'm afraid"

      "I know, but Grandmama your ears look a lot pointier than usual too"

      "I got cosmetic surgery to buck up my hearing; I hate not being able to hear your angelic voice properly"

      "But Grandmama, if your teeth are nothing more than dentures, why is there drying blood on them when you've never been able to bite into a piece of Tauros steak before unless someone liquidised it first? What have you been doing, and why have you got fang-like teeth in?"

      "Because they're not dentures, they're real. And they're all the better to eat you with!"

      James shrieked for two reasons. One was to make his acting more authentic as the umbreon tore off its clothing to make its true identity known. The other was in horror as the thoughts of Jessie being naked in a skin-tight outfit in bed a foot away from him culminated to the point he forgot his pain completely and his problem recurred. He leapt away from her and placed the basket strategically, cowering as he did to make it look like 'she' was hiding behind it to save her own life from the scary looking monster in front of her. The audience cheered as it made the material ride up his legs all the more, making so much of his skin appear on show that he was suddenly grateful for his problem; otherwise something else would be on show for the crowd. As the evil umbreon towered over the frightened girl, snarling ferociously, Butch broke the door down and slashed out with his axe a little too enthusiastically, as the scene hadn't been rehearsed at all. The flimsy spandex split right open and Jessie fell, deliberately with her back to the crowd as she feigned death. Butch's eyes goggled in disbelief, as only her co-stars had the beauty of seeing her flash them but he was still able to see her body from the angle at which he stood. She wanted to stretch and fold the material over her breasts but she couldn't because she was supposed to be dead, and dead things tended not to be very active. He forgot all about his lines and removing the biscuits from the child's possession, too engrossed in watching a supposedly uninteresting dead pokémon instead.

      Suddenly Butch thought this through; if only Jessie and James had been rehearsing together, and they'd gotten changed together…he looked at James with a look that showed his resentment, heightened more when he saw what the basket was hiding from the audience. The moment was made even worse when Cassidy appeared onstage, the umbreon having just regurgitated her. She looked terrible in her grandmother's outfit, worse than in practice as the crew had covered her in a clear slime to resemble saliva and stomach-acid. It was sticking to her blonde hair and caused it to stick out in two parts like a pair of asteroids complete with tails and she had a sneaking suspicion it would prove harder for her to remove than stubborn hairspray. She took one look at James and a cruel smirk played across her thin lips. She wasn't going to blow their secret yet, not when she could make them suffer more.

      "Why my res-ERECTION was quite miraculous don't you think dear son-in-law? I'm sure Little Red must be finding the whole scenario rather HARD to deal with"

      "Uh…yeah, umbreon, terrible"

      Butch lost sight of the whole school watching his dire acting, and instead stood on Jessie's other side and pretended to study the monster's face when really he was examining another part of her altogether. He said something about checking its pulse but felt the cartilage in his throat crack with the force from the kick the pokémon delivered as he touched her exposed skin, thinking he'd get away with it as the audience would never know if it was her neck he'd touched. She did though, and scampered offstage after she'd knocked the breath from him, unaware she'd caused permanent damage to his voice. James wanted to run but he couldn't, as he knew punishment was about to come his way. He tried to distract the other two by releasing 'Daddy go after her and kill the evil monster, don't let it come back and attack Grandmama again!' at the height his falsetto was capable of reaching, and he willingly ran offstage after her, ignoring his axe. Cassidy became more sullen with each moment and the narrator didn't know what to say to cover the unexpected ending, unaware of the swap. Cassidy was furious at losing the leading role not only to a girl with bigger breasts than she possessed, but then losing it again to a man in a dress. She kicked the basket out of his hands but by this stage his problem had long disappeared and she pulled his hood back…

      After all their effort, their plot was nothing more than tattered ribbons and it had come asunder just when the curtain was due to fall as well. Because of the clips, his face hadn't been revealed to anyone, but he'd released an exclamation of 'Ow!' a good few octaves lower than Jessie would have done. He cried out 'You're a mean old woman!' before stomping offstage, hoping nobody noticed the change too much as the latter had been spoken in his falsetto again. The school, bar the five that knew, had no idea they were lusting after a man, but his parents knew his voice, perpetually linked with failure, immediately and vowed to remove him from the school before he could invoke more shame upon them. Cassidy bowed then stormed off with a face liable to kill someone with the amount of anger bestowed upon it. Jessie was in the dressing room, with James banging on the door for her to let him in, knowing if his parents found him like this he'd be dead quicker than he could scream in fright at the crack of Jessie Belle's whip as it broke the sound barrier, on his skin. She opened the door a fraction and he was inside in an instant, seeing a golden opportunity to hide from Cassidy for a minute as he knew he'd probably suffer more than Jessie, as he'd 'stolen' the part she wanted and wasn't even the right sex. Jessie was still half-naked, this time she'd strapped herself down as she knew Butch would be staring at her and couldn't resist anything being visible through her clothing.

      Before taking the make-up or drag off, James took her into his arms and kissed her with undeniable passion, using it as a form of non-alcoholic Dutch courage. She melted in his arms even though the pain in her nether regions was stinging more than in the play from her sudden sprint away from the stage. She never once thought in her lifetime her face would ever be covered in smeared lipstick whose orientation wasn't her own lips as she bore no interest in homosexuals of either sex. He accepted her help in removing the make-up and stripped from the undeniably effeminate clothing as soon as he could, feeling like he'd let himself down as a person by doing it. Especially when he considered he'd never truly get his end of the bargain again, and he heartily wished he hadn't already taken her side of the deal. He felt worse when he was dressed in his regular clothes as the seat of his pants chafed his burning irritation even when he wasn't walking, which threw at least one advantage to dressing up as a woman. When he left the room, his parents' chief butler, Hopkins, carried him off under his arm telling him he was acting a total disgrace. Cassidy screamed he was a fag at the top of her voice, warranting her strange glares from the now-deaf people in her vicinity as they were still under the impression they'd watched Jessie in a skimpy outfit. James didn't know what was more humiliating, the ordeal, his graceless removal from the school or hearing the comments the male students made regarding their desires of what they'd like to do to the lead.

◘ James' parents told the school to write away his retraction from their institute lest they suffered the consequences. They gave the official reason as he'd failed an important exam, infinitely less degrading all round when put with the true version of events.

◘ Jessie stayed in school for the remainder of the week then took off without any consideration for the aftermath as she tired of the work and comments involved without a dorm-mate. She also 'failed her exams' as an official excuse, so as not to blemish the record of successful students too badly. The pair unofficially received the lowest in the school.

◘ In the same month, they lost Butch as despite extensive expensive surgery, his voice sounded like a frog-type after a thousand Marlboros in the span of five minutes.

◘ The producers discovered they'd leered after a man and quit from the world of show-business forever more lest they made the same mistake.

◘ Because of this, they lost another student, the sour blonde with the ridiculous hairstyle who sought revenge and needed to locate the woodsman so they could do it together. She couldn't forgive the 'fag' for making her nearly come out of the closet for a man.

◘ James left home and remembering where Jessie lived, he headed there and they joined a bicycle gang to pass the time and to gain a reputation to put on their CV for Team Rocket. To get Jessie back for his eternal humiliation, he deliberately dressed in drag as frequently as he could without affecting his sexuality too much and put on a falsetto whilst he pranced about effeminately, merely to annoy her for donating those traits to his system in the first place. The rest, as they say, is history.

                                         ~*~*~***Red Curtain***~*~*~


End file.
